Mapping the Nation, 1565-1899

FAIN: PW-228237-15

New York Public Library (New York, NY 10016-0109)
Matthew Knutzen (Project Director: July 2014 to October 2015)
Artis Wright (Project Director: October 2015 to June 2019)

Cataloging, conservation, and digitization of approximately 4,000 single sheet maps dating from the 16th to the 19th century that document the whole of the United States at various periods in the nation’s history, as well as regional and state maps, and detailed maps of counties, towns, and localities.

One of the New York Public Library's (NYPL) most important collections is comprised of antiquarian sheet maps of the whole of the United States, as well its parts (e.g. Southern United States), individual states, counties, and localities. The collection numbers 3,093 titles (in 4,030 sheets) spanning three and a half centuries, with six titles from the 16th century, 37 from the 17th, 235 from the 18th, and 2,815 from the 19th. Mapping the Nation 1565-1899 will allow NYPL’s Lionel Pincus & Princess Firyal Map Division to share these materials with a global audience through the creation of metadata, cataloging, basic preservation, and digitization. Upon completion of this project, 3,093 catalog records and 4,030 digital images will be made publicly accessible, offering a global audience unparalleled access both through wide dissemination of catalog and metadata records and openly licensed, freely downloadable digital images, and through other, future transformational processes.

Associated Products

Mapping the Nation with pre-1900 U.S. Maps: Uniting the United States (Blog Post)
Title: Mapping the Nation with pre-1900 U.S. Maps: Uniting the United States
Author: Artis Wright
Abstract: NYPL’s pre-1900 U.S. map collection tells the story of America: From its beginnings in the 17th century along the Atlantic coastline, to the consolidation of 13 British colonies in the late 18th century, and concluding with its absorption of French, Spanish, and Mexican territories expanding westward from the Mississippi River, to the Pacific Ocean and beyond by the conclusion of the 19th century. Below is part one of our two-part series.
Date: 5/15/2018
Primary URL: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/05/15/united-states-pre-1900-map-collection
Primary URL Description: Blog Post: Mapping the Nation with pre-1900 U.S. Maps: Uniting the United States
Secondary URL: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/05/15/united-states-pre-1900-map-collection
Website: Mapping the Nation with pre-1900 U.S. Maps: Uniting the United States

Mapping the Nation with Pre-1900 U.S. Maps: North vs South and Moving West (Blog Post)
Title: Mapping the Nation with Pre-1900 U.S. Maps: North vs South and Moving West
Author: Artis Wright
Abstract: NYPL’s pre-1900 U.S. map collection tells the story of America: From its beginnings in the 17th century along the Atlantic coastline, to the consolidation of 13 British colonies in the late 18th century, and concluding with its absorption of French, Spanish, and Mexican territories expanding westward from the Mississippi River, to the Pacific Ocean and beyond by the conclusion of the 19th century. Below is the second part of our two-part series
Date: 6/1/2018
Primary URL: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/06/01/united-states-pre-1900-map-collection-part-2
Primary URL Description: Blog Post: Mapping the Nation with Pre-1900 U.S. Maps: North vs South and Moving West
Website: Mapping the Nation with Pre-1900 U.S. Maps: North vs South and Moving West

NYPL Digital Collections (Web Resource)
Title: NYPL Digital Collections
Author: n/a
Abstract: This project digitized 3,356 maps, resulting in 3,356 catalog records and 6,341 digital images. As of the time of this report, 2,644 maps are fully available online. All map metadata and high resolution images are accessible for download, free of charge, through both Digital Collections and NYPL’s map portal. The easiest way to locate all currently-available maps digitized as a part of this project is via Digital Collections, where they can be accessed by searching the term “Mapping the Nation.” All Digital Collections items are linked to their corresponding records in NYPL’s catalog, map portal, and in DPLA.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
Primary URL Description: This link leads to the general Digital Collections portal, which contains images of all maps digitized with Mapping the Nation funding.
Secondary URL: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=%22mapping+the+nation%22
Secondary URL Description: This link leads to the list of all maps digitized as a part of the Mapping the Nation project that are available in Digital Collections.

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